The Hands of Destiny
The Hands of Destiny is a storyline saga that was created by RoachTheIntelCollector on May 1st, 2018. It is the tenth storyline saga of the Roach Chronicles. It is preceded by the Day of Judgment saga and is succeeded by The War Machine saga. Like all of Roach's previous works starting with the Rebirth of Gruntijackal saga, it features five zombies maps. The story picks up a few weeks following the events of Divided Reality, where Novus is suddenly called into action after the startling discovery of Gruntijackal's return as he plans to transform himself into the all-powerful Emperor of Destiny, and rule all of existence and control destiny by absorbing the powers of Dark Creation from the fabled Lamp of Destiny. The saga serves as the fourth and final part of the Gruntijackal Phase. Story The Attack Following the aftermath of Divided Reality, Gruntijackal soon proceeds to open the Soul Jar, releasing Richtofen and Xarcoh from within it. While Richtofen and Xarcoh lament over their failure to ensure Gruntijackal took control of the Aether's energies, Gruntijackal assured his second-in-command otherwise, saying that while gaining his powers again, Gruntijackal learned of an ancient power known as Dark Creation. Gruntijackal then explains that with that power, he would be able to transform himself into the Emperor of Destiny, an all-powerful being that would have ten times the amount of power than the Demonic Announcer, as well as the ability to reshape all of existence and rewrite destiny. Richtofen then suggests they have the heroes they previously encountered do most of the work while they step in at the end to claim the power of Dark Creation for themselves. In order to lure out the heroes, the three villains travel back to Earth, where they arrived at Green Mountain, the home of the heroes. Gruntijackal then proceeds to use the powers he still had to transform the entire city into a massive medieval fortress and create a new zombie army out of the citizens, all whilst sparing the four survivors and Samantha Maxis, who became Daniela's adoptive daughter. Demanding answers for the sudden distrubance of peace, the four regrouped at Higgins' lab while informing Samantha to stay in the lab, as it would shield her from the evils on the surface. The four then ready up before returning to the surface. After fighting through the city, the four reach the main part of the fortress, where they confront Richtofen, Gruntijackal, and Xarcoh. As Higgins angrily questions how they all returned, Richtofen explains that there were still loose ends they forgot to tie up completely. In an act to show superiority, Richtofen proceeds to pull out an MR6 and brutally shoots Higgins in the chest twice. As Higgins dies, Gruntijackal explains that if they wish to save Higgins' life, they must find the location of the fabled Lamp of Destiny and bring the relic to Gruntijackal at the Temple of Terminus, a temple that was hidden in the skies above the world on a floating land mass. With this, Xarcoh proceeds to use his powers to teleport himself, Richtofen, and Gruntijackal to their new base at the temple. In a final moment, Higgins tells the heroes to carry on and find "the library" before dying of his wounds. End of the Line Distraught over the death of Higgins, the three remaining survivors travel to Higgins' lab, where they regroup with Samantha. While there, the survivors discover Higgins' research on interdimensional travel, identifying a military black project of such a topic at Area 51, one of the world's most secured and classified military bases. They then stumble upon Higgins' research on a realm known as Divination, a realm that contains knowledge beyond any one man's comprehension. Realizing that "the library" Higgins mentioned before his death was in fact Divination, the four prepare themselves for a trip to the base. Days later, the four survivors reach the border of Area 51. In the distance, gunshots could be heard. Realizing that the base was under siege by the undead, the four quickly drive to the base in their jeep. Upon arriving to the base itself, they find that all that was left was several destroyed buildings and an intact elevator leading to the underground labs. As hundreds of the undead charge towards them, the four are forced into the elevator, where they use it to enter the labs, which has fallen to the undead as well. While in the base, the four survivors gain access to one of the military's most top secret projects, an experimental energy weapon known as the Ravish. Utilizing the Ravish's capabilities, the four are able to redirect power in the base to open the main lab containing "Project Gateway", which was an experimental portal frame. As the four seal themselves in the room, Jacob is able to hack into the portal's interface. After inserting the coordinates to the realm of Divination, Samantha uses the Ravish to power up the portal. As the undead attempted to enter the room, the four realize that there is no turning back before jumping into the portal together as the portal overloads and explodes into pieces. Library of Divination The four heroes awaken within a large library. Samantha is quick to identify the place as the Library of Divination, a mystical and mysterious place within the realm of Divination, a realm where some of the universe's most powerful knowledge was created at. However, because of their unconventional method of traveling to the realm, they ultimately allowed zombies to infest the library. The heroes soon fend off the zombies as they search the library for the information they need to find the Lamp of Destiny. Soon, the heroes are able to discover a secret control mechanism within the globe-like artifact within the main study, where they identify it as a map of the entire library. Using this, the heroes are able to open some of the secret compartments of the library, including the sealed-away vaults where some of the most darkest prophecies are kept hidden. As the heroes approach the vaults, they are confronted by a large mysterious figure known only as The Librarian. Unfortunately for the heroes, The Librarian fell under the control of Gruntijackal's influcence due to the zombie infestation, forcing them into a fight. After defeating the powerful being, the heroes continue into the vaults, where they discover the prophecy regarding the Lamp of Destiny. While reading it, Samantha stumbles upon the "dark prophecy", a prophecy regarding the Emperor of Destiny, a role Gruntijackal sought to fill. As they read and deciphered the prophecy, The Librarian appeared, now freed from Gruntijackal's influence. The Librarian soon explains who he is; he was in charge of writing the destinies of every single individual and thing within the universe. To help achieve this goal, The Librarian forged a powerful relic known as the Lamp of Destiny, which would allow him to create the destinies of those yet to even exist. However, one of his former apprentices betrayed him and created an inevitable prophecy of the Emperor of Destiny, a being who would one day rise from the shackles of the past and absorb the powers of Dark Creation within the lamp. With this power, the Emperor of Destiny would be able to assume control of all of existence and have the powers to rewrite destiny itself. Fearing the worst, The Librarian was forced to hide the lamp in a secure location, which he revealed to the heroes as the Catacombs of Destiny. The heroes then explain their predicament, causing The Librarian to realize that the dark prophecy was beginning. Giving them the prophecy of the lamp to the heroes, The Librarian tells them to "not look forward or back, but down", saying it will help them in the catacombs before using his powers to teleport the heroes away. With them gone, The Librarian soon sighed to himself, saying he has a large mess to clean up in the library. Fall of Destiny The heroes find themselves within the Catacombs of Destiny, the resting place of the Lamp of Destiny. Taking note of The Librarian's final words to them, the heroes begin their search for the lamp within the catacombs. In the midst of their search, they discover that the fountain contained holes for four gems. The four then discover that in order to obtain the lamp, they must acquire the four gems hidden throughout the catacombs. Upon finding all four gems, the heroes insert them into the fountain. This causes it to shatter into pieces, revealing a secret compartment containing the Lamp of Destiny. As the four attempt to claim the lamp, they are blasted backwards by a ball of energy. Suddenly, Xarcoh appears and grabs the lamp. As the heroes get up, they question why Xarcoh was here, saying that they were going to bring it to them at the Temple of Terminus. However, Xarcoh reveals that there has been a slight change of plans, revealing that the three villains discovered a flaw when they first made the arrangements for the meeting at the temple; if the heroes got the lamp, they could easily have used it then and there at the catacombs to save Higgins and stop the villains. Using the lamp, Xarcoh creates a gauntlet-styled weapon. The heroes question what it was before Xarcoh reveals that it is the all-powerful Gauntlet of Ataraxia, a weapon forged by an ultimate evil in another distant timeline, saying its powers could easily overwhelm the heroes before engaging them in a fight. Xarcoh proves to be a difficult opponent, due to him utilizing the gauntlet's powers to his advantage. Eventually, after a long fight, Xarcoh is able to weaken the heroes by blasting them with the gauntlet. Saying that his mission is complete, Xarcoh teleports himself away. Knowing that the end is near, the heroes prepare themselves for one last final battle. The Final Struggle A couple of days following the disastrous mission at the Catacombs of Destiny, the heroes return to Higgins' bunker in Wyoming, where they begin to make preparations for the final battle. As they made their preparations, the entire ground shook. The four hurry out of the bunker, where they see the Temple of Terminus in the skies above. The skies themselves start to become disoriented to resemble space itself. Knowing that Gruntijackal has started the ritual, the four take their stuff before reaching the vehicle depot, where they secure a helicopter and proceed to fly up to the temple. At the Temple of Terminus, Gruntijackal is in a large ritual chamber with the Lamp of Destiny while Xarcoh and Richtofen watch from a balcony. Gruntijackal soon smashes the Lamp of Destiny into pieces, which causes the Dark Creation energies within the lamp to spew out into the room. Suddenly, an alarm goes off within the temple, alerting the three. Gruntijackal orders his generals to attend to the intrusion while he continues with the ritual. As Richtofen and Xarcoh seal off the ritual chamber, Xarcoh puts the Gauntlet of Ataraxia back onto his arm, saying to Richtofen that everything changes today. The four heroes soon land their helicopter on the outside balcony, which served as the main entrance to the temple. Richtofen and Xarcoh soon appear from within the temple, telling the heroes to give up, or face the wrath of the Emperor of Destiny. When the heroes refused, Richtofen then explains that the temple will merely become their eternal grave before snapping his fingers. This triggers the temple's emergency response system, creating an army of zombies in order to face the heroes. Xarcoh and Richtofen soon enter the temple before sealing off the main door. However, the heroes are able to open the door into the temple and proceed inside. There, the heroes are able to find a way to gain access into the ritual chamber by overriding the main door. Upon entering the chamber, they see Gruntijackal performing the ritual. As the energies of the Dark Creation circle around Gruntijackal, the heroes attempt to stop the ritual, but are stopped by Richtofen and Xarcoh. A fight against the two villains begins in the ritual chamber, with Gruntijackal becoming untouchable in his chamber due to a forcefield he was able to create with his growing powers. After the battle, Xarcoh drops the gauntlet, while telling Richtofen that the ritual will succeed, no matter the cost. As Gruntijackal nods to his generals, Xarcoh grabs Richtofen's arm and the two jump into Gruntijackal's forcefield, destroying both of them, but causing both of their energies to be absorbed by Gruntijackal. With this added energy, Gruntijackal is able to complete the ritual. As the forcefield around him is disabled, Gruntijackal begins his ultimate transformation into the Emperor of Destiny. Gruntijackal soon backs up into another room behind the ritual chamber before sealing the door with the use of his Dark Creation powers. Knowing they have to stop Gruntijackal, the four discover the ultimate weakness to the Dark Creation energies; the Ravish's energy beams can weaken the Dark Creation energies and absorb them. Utilizing this, the four use the Ravish to break the seal, where they enter the room. There, Gruntijackal's transformation into the Emperor of Destiny was completed. As the Emperor of Destiny announces his newfound powers, he challenges the heroes to a final battle. A long and ruthless fight ensues, with the heroes utilizing the Ravish to siphon off the Emperor of Destiny's power bit by bit. Eventually, enough of the Emperor of Destiny's energy is absorbed, causing the stability of the Emperor of Destiny's physical form to begin to weaken severely. In an attempt to reclaim his lost power, the Emperor of Destiny steals the Ravish from the heroes and absorbs its essence into himself. This however, proves to be a fatal mistake, as the combined energies of the Ravish's powerful ammunition and the Dark Creation within the gun proves to be too much for the Emperor of Destiny to handle. As the Emperor of Destiny is reduced to nothing but a ball of energy, Gruntijackal can be heard screaming as the ball launches into the ceiling and out of the temple before exploding, finally ridding the universe of Gruntijackal and most of the Dark Creation energies once and for all, as well as undoing all of the evil caused by Gruntijackal. As the heroes celebrate their victory, the temple around them begins to collapse. This forces the heroes to flee from the temple and return to the balcony. Along the way, Patrick discovers the discarded Gauntlet of Ataraxia and picks it up. Upon reaching the balcony, the heroes discover that their helicopter fell with a chunk of the balcony. As the rest of the balcony collapses, the four heroes are sent falling down to the ground below. Patrick soon gets an idea and tells the others to bunch up. As the heroes cling onto Patrick, he raises the Gauntlet of Ataraxia into the air and begins to power it on. Soon enough, the ground approaches, and the four collide into the ground, ultimately dying as a result. However, the Gauntlet of Ataraxia soon finishes powering up in Patrick's hand and activates, ultimately resurrecting the four and healing them of their wounds. The four heroes soon rejoice over Patrick's actions before retreating into Higgins' bunker just as the rest of the temple's debris lands nearby. A few days later, the heroes return to Green Mountain with the Gauntlet of Ataraxia, where they find Higgins' body was now in the middle of a field as a result of the Emperor of Destiny's destruction. Using the gauntlet, Patrick resurrects and cures Higgins of his wounds. Higgins soon congratulates the heroes for their actions, saying that they did what he could not. As the five engage in a group hug, the credits roll, concluding the saga. Characters * Jacob Roberts * Daniela Knight * Patrick West * Samuel Higgins (formerly deceased, later resurrected) * Samantha Maxis * Gruntijackal/Emperor of Destiny (destroyed) * Edward Richtofen (destroyed) * Xarcoh (destroyed) * The Librarian * Ataraxia (mentioned only) * O'Ryan (indirectly mentioned) * Chris (indirectly mentioned) * TJ (indirectly mentioned) * Alex "Rook" Miller (indirectly mentioned) Maps The Attack.jpg|1. The Attack End of the Line.jpg|2. End of the Line Library of Divination.jpg|3. Library of Divination Fall of Destiny.jpg|4. Fall of Destiny The Final Struggle.jpg|5. The Final Struggle Weapons Like the previous saga, all of the weapons are weaponry from Call of Duty: Black Ops III. Assault Rifles *KN-44 *XR-2 *HVK-30 *ICR-1 *Man-O-War *Sheiva *M8A7 *MX Garand *FFAR *Peacekeeper MK2 *LV8 Basilisk *M16 *Galil *KVK 99m *STG-44 *Volk Mk II Submachine Guns *Kuda *VMP *Weevil *Vesper *Pharo *Razorback *HG 40 *DIY 11 Renovator *HLX 4 *PPSh-41 *AK-74u *XMC *Bootlegger *M1927 *MP40 Light Machine Guns *BRM *Dingo *Gorgon *R70 Ajax *MG-08/15 Shotguns *KRM-262 *205 Brecci *Haymaker 12 *Argus *Banshii *Olympia Sniper Rifles *Drakon *Locus *P0-6 *SVG-100 *RSA Interdiction *DBSR-50 *XPR-50 Pistols *MR6 *RK5 *L-CAR9 *Marshal 16 *Rift E9 *1911 *Bloodhound *Mauser C96 Launchers *XM-53 *L4 Siege *MAX-GL Special Weapons *NX ShadowClaw *D13 Sector *Ballistic Knife Wonder Weapons * Ray Gun * Monkey Bombs * Ravish * Railgun * Nuclear Fusion Reactor-16 As an award for completing the saga, the player gains access to the special Hive Camouflage from Call of Duty: Black Ops III. Hive Camouflage KN-44.jpg|Hive Camouflage on the KN-44. Videos 10. The Silent Forest (Project Destati DARKNESS)|Main theme of the saga. Trivia *This saga ultimately concludes the ‘‘Gruntijackal Phase’’ of the Roach Chronicles, a phase that has been active since Day of the Departed. *This saga is one of RoachTheIntelCollector's favorite sagas. Category:The Hands of Destiny